Sunderland moved in to the top half of the Premier League with a win over Tottenham Hotspur
Régis Le Bris praised his Sunderland players for a strong performance against Spurs and said they could have made the game more comfortable had they been more clinical in the final third.
While Nordi Mukiele’s deflected strike in the second half proved to be the difference between the two sides, Sunderland created the better chances throughout the game. With Spurs something of an unknown quantity in their first game under Roberto De Zerbi, Le Bris was pleased with the way his players adapted to the challenge.
“So we had two or three main objectives today and the first one was to be adaptive because it was hard to anticipate their patterns, their shape,” Le Bris said.
“But being proactive defensively and if it was possible to generate momentum early with the ball, I think was key for this game. Probably the first 15 minutes were a bit sloppy, we lost three, four, five balls without pressure, but after that I think we were good.
“We were often in the final third today, which is good. After that, this final third, you have to manage the last choice and the last pass and we still have room for improvement because if we can be a bit more clinical, it's not the final action but just the action before, I think probably the game should have been a bit easier to manage. I think we broke their press early. It's always adaptive, but I think the knowledge of the team now is getting better, so they can identify in real time where is the solution. It's still possible to be a bit more efficient, a bit more clinical, but I think the balance of the ball was positive and we were confident.
“We still have a young squad, so they are intense, strong energy, but now it's a question of execution. The last choice, the last pass, probably the presence in the box as well, we still have room for improvement, but we are working hard behind the scenes so it's about small adjustments, but small adjustments at that level make the difference.”
Le Bris said his team were left confident at the interval that they could go on to win the game.
“During half time, we agreed that it was about us, if we were disciplined and consistent, composed, we would have the opportunity to win this game,” Le Bris said.
“The opponent wasn't strong enough to beat us, so I wasn't too worried. But football is football, it's still unpredictable. If you don't score the second goal, something can happen in the last minutes.”
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